My GT350R will likely be my last Ford car.

[300blackout]

No offense, but that is pretty high to the average person. Most of us are fortunate enough that it isn’t really that high to us, but it is still a larger chunk of change.

"high" is subjective depending on one's financial status. However, if a $20K car has better build quality/fitment than a $60K car...that's a problem.

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[UnhandledException]

No offense, but that is pretty high to the average person. Most of us are fortunate enough that it isn’t really that high to us, but it is still a larger chunk of change.

Average person does not matter. Average sports car price or heck in this case since gt350 is so cheap, average car price matters. And in in that context, $58,000 and the quality of this car and what you get with that price (FPC, 8250 redline, magnaride, handling, transmission, coolers, etc) are all within normal expectations. There are barely any sports cars cheaper than $58,000. BMW makes only one car (M2), Mercedes makes none, neither does Porsche. The only other car brand that is in the same league is Chevy and Camaro’s competitor trim is more expensive than gt350.

$58,000 also does not buy you an average SUV (if high end is cayenne and low end is forrester) such as an X5 or an average 5 series.

 

[Minn19]

"high" is subjective depending on one's financial status. However, if a $20K car has better build quality/fitment than a $60K car...that's a problem.

Agreed and I get what you saying. But the majority of people aren’t looking at 60k anything be it whatever kind of car or truck.

 

[300blackout]

Average person does not matter. Average sports car price or heck in this case since gt350 is so cheap, average car price matters. And in in that context, $58,000 and the quality of this car and what you get with that price (FPC, 8250 redline, magnaride, handling, transmission, coolers, etc) are all within normal expectations. There are barely any sports cars cheaper than $58,000. BMW makes only one car (M2), Mercedes makes none, neither does Porsche. The only other car brand that is in the same league is Chevy and Camaro’s competitor trim is more expensive than gt350.

$58,000 also does not buy you an average SUV (if high end is cayenne and low end is forrester) such as an X5 or an average 5 series.

I see and agreed that the gt350 is performance bargain. The engine's sound character, Tremec transmission, balanced chassis, etc...But it wouldn't cost them any more or less if they can put the bumper on right.

 

[drgoro]

I can’t say I’ve been too put off by the 350 fit and finish, however, I must be easy to please lol

 

[UnhandledException]

I see and agreed that the gt350 is performance bargain. The engine's sound character, Tremec transmission, balanced chassis, etc...But it wouldn't cost them any more or less if they can put the bumper on right.

It does. Because to put them right they need to hire better people which will cost them more money not only to pay for them but also it will mean they need a separate assembly line for gt350. Gt350 price only happens if it can be built along with cheaper mustangs.

What you should be asking for is increasing the quality of mustangs just in general and that will mean overall higher sale price. I dont think ford is stupid. If they wanted to have a higher quality mustang, they would do it and sell the ecoboost for a lot more.

 

[300blackout]

I can’t say I’ve been too put off by the 350 fit and finish, however, I must be easy to please lol

That's reassuring I'm planning on ordering a 19 R..so needless to say I've been doing my research on this forum.

 

[300blackout]

It does. Because to put them right they need to hire better people which will cost them more money not only to pay for them but also it will mean they need a separate assembly line for gt350. Gt350 price only happens if it can be built along with cheaper mustangs.

What you should be asking for is increasing the quality of mustangs just in general and that will mean overall higher sale price. I dont think ford is stupid. If they wanted to have a higher quality mustang, they would do it and sell the ecoboost for a lot more.

I guess you're right. But to put the bumper on right, and take a second look..c'mon man!

 

[UnhandledException]

I guess you're right. But to put the bumper on right, and take a second look..c'mon man!

I know but you know what this is like? This is like going to mc donalds and then expecting food that tests like red robin’s or apple bee’s food (not even comparing it to a high end steak restaurant) and also expecting the people working there to be delivering of same quality service.

 

[mustang1]

Agreed and I get what you saying. But the majority of people aren’t looking at 60k anything be it whatever kind of car or truck.

Trucks are expensive these days. Crew cab, V8, 4x4, with the modern electronics (e.g. ACC), and MSRP is rapidly approaching 60k.

 

[DrumReaper]

After watching ~5 days of posts I would like to provide some feedback based on having owned 4 new generation GT350/R's (still own 3 of them) and was a custodian of two 2015 GT350's for the better part of a year with their combined mileage being ~25,000 miles. I can honestly say that I was very impressed with the body panel fit and gaps along with no suggestion of bumper sag or popping when these two early Tech Pack cars left my home.

Based on putting on ~2000 miles on all of the above 6 cars I have not experienced any of the 8 areas of concern that were listed except for item #5 which of course whereby we all experience some level of paint chips or road rash of some degree based on what part of the country that we live on and/or whether we track or drive on busy highways and roads. If your car has a PPF then of course that is probably a different story.

Having previously owned a number of M3's and M coupes I can tell you first hand that all of these cars were subject to paint chips and road rash as well and no one can tell me that as beautiful of a paint job that Porsche provides on their outstanding cars that they will be any different.

I had a recent conversation with a friend of mine who owns a very early 2016 GT350R (+14,000 miles and 7 track sessions) and during our conversation he mentioned that an acquaintance of his has a GT4, GT3, GT3RS and a GT2 with everyone of those cars having road rash and paint issues except for the GT2 based on having very few miles on it. Obviously this owner has some legitimate concerns and no different than we do but I don't care if our cars come from Germany, Japan, Italy or the U.S. the factory paint/process is subject to paint chips and road rash and has been for a number of years now.

With respect to the new generation Boss 302 cars being far superior in build quality to the GT350/R's again that has not been my experience based on having owned 8 Boss 302's over the last 7 1/2 years and having driven them ~15,000 miles over that time period.

I am not here to suggest that Ford does not have engine issues and/or quality build issues on some GT350/R's and certainly respect all of the posts from every member here but I have to say that my experience has been quite positive so far for not only the Shelby's in question but also for the Boss cars.

Obviously our GT350/R's are massed produced HP vehicles are not perfect builds but I am certainly very thankful that Ford went out on a limb and produced a HP Mustang that is powered by a FPC engine and in the case of the R model providing a 2 seat Mustang that comes with CF wheels and a CF rear spoiler and all for ~$67,000.

In spite of some noted short comings these cars are possibly the best bang for the buck out there in my humble opinion.

:cheers:

Couldn’t agree more... I’m just ready to try another brand. If I run into the same issues there then I’ll be back at square one and totally honest about it.

I do have to say that I saw an R8 this weekend and was impressed. 1st world options...

 

[flyinlow007]

Have you ever even owned a German car?
My 167K mile Audi A4 looks like a 30K mile car. I live in the snow belt and I bought it new. It has ZERO rust and the undercarriage looks impressive for 167K miles. I noted from your other posts that you are a GM fanboi. Let me tell my FIRST HAND experience with GM cars....my daily driver 4th gen Camaro Z28 needed a new transmission at 120K miles (car was stock) my LS2 GTO dropped a valve at 120K miles (car was stock). GM refused to acknowledge an issue and fix with the dropped valves on the LS7 (I had a C6Z). My C4’s fit and finish was worse than a kit car. All my GM cars rattled and squeaked once they hit 30K miles. My Audi?...no squeaks and rattles at nearly 200K miles.

I've owned 2 Audi's, and their repair costs is finally what had me quit buying foreign cars. I have owned several GM's, all good cars, experienced none of the issues you have, just lucky I guess. Have also owned Ford's and had similar luck, no major issues.

 

[stanglife]

Imo there were 2 issues with the GT350 that I recognized and were my reasons for selling. These reasons are why there are more for sale used two years later than I would have thought, given the hype and requisite ADM's when they were new.

Pretty absolute here - you say that this is it, the reason.

I believe that for those who have chosen to sell, that the two reasons I've stated are likely some of the main ones for doing so.

Now it's likely some of the reasons.

My mistake for assuming that the two most glaring examples might possibly be some of the main reasons why someone might be selling. Totally flawed logic. I have no idea what I was thinking...

This I can agree with. Maybe, possibly, some, might have sold for these reasons. You kind of did a 180 there but hopefully you can see what I was getting at and why my initial resistance to understanding how you could come to that first conclusion. No way to know that the 2 things that bothered you enough about the car to sell it are why, in a sea of performance cars that are very commonly sold after a couple of years anyway, other people are selling theirs.


I feel like there are two things that happen a lot on the forums..and it seems like it happens at the extremes.

1 - purchase confirmation: Everyone wants everything to be as good as they thought it would be, especially considering the expense. So we let a few things slide, defend those flaws and look at the overall value and we find peace somewhere in the middle.

Then it comes time to sell for whatever reason.

2 - Selling confirmation: We want to feel like we have a good reason to ditch whatever car we are selling. Cars are expensive and usually a money-losing hobby. After all, there must have been some awesome redeeming qualities in there for us to buy it to begin with so we need to come up with some solid reasons that we are selling to make us feel like it's a good, smart move. Usually we've fallen out-of-love with the car for any number of reasons....don't drive it enough...car had a squeak...some major failure along the way to shake our confidence.... BUT..

BUT... IMO - ownership experience of whatever car, for a car enthusiast, is a growing process. Even if the car has done everything it always has and you started out 100% excited and satisfied - you've accepted its original flaws and loved it for what it was...you end up, at some point, looking back on those flaws, thinking about the next car and how you might evolve your enthusiast experience. In a nutshell, I'm saying that frequently, someone moving into another car will let those initial items that they accepted as smaller flaws bubble back up to the top and cite those issues as intolerable to help legitimize their move to the next (usually more expensive) car. In that process, they take a big dump on the model on the way out...none of the panels line up...they all have an engine problem...they all have undeniable quality issues..it seems a little extreme. When NOT everyone is having these same issues (I've had at least 1, admittedly but not enough to make me jump ship) - it feel discourteous to those still in the game. What are people trying to accomplish? It feels like since they want out, they think everyone else should and don't mind polluting the forums and everyone they can tell with inaccuracies that could possibly drive the price of the cars down over time, for no reason. I'm usually a live and let live but this is why I seem a little nit-picky over some of these threads lately.


Drum - I know you're not selling...yet.

Randy - not directed at you specifically but our back and forth did bring all of this to the surface. In the end, you're saying that you want something more - and that's great. Wishing you luck!

 

[UnhandledException]

Americans love practicality. They also love their money more than anything. When you combine these two, you have domestic car manufacturers who are in the business of producing cheaper cars with less quality than their European counterparts to meet this market demand. A lot of people who buy european cars do so for their image and luxury. Quality comes 3rd place. The undercarriage of the GT350 or just in general how the car is put together (zip ties, aluminum foils, etc) is like a joke compared to any BMW’s undercarriage including $35,000 X1. We have cars like Jeep wranglers or Dodge Rams in this country. They dont. They look for different things in cars than we do. Its all cultural and in our heritage. One doesnt make the other right or wrong. Its all about what majority wants, what the market demands, and manufacturers meeting that demand. Its not because Americans cannot build cars higher quality that cost more or Germans cannot build cars less quality that cost less. Its all about what makes business sense for their respective market segment.

As a customer, this stuff with GT350 doesnt bother me. It makes me chuckle and to be honest, it allows me to work on my car easier than euro cars. This car is a lot more forgiving. Its a lot easier to work with than my M5 was. I like that. With that comes quality issues but I m not bothered by it.

 

[snaproll]

What a sh*tshow this thread is! Somebody cries about their bumper gap and will never own a Ford again lol. I’ll tell you what, I’ve owed “one of one” GT3’s, Ford GT’s, you name it. They are all junk! Never been happier than with a GT350R. Shopping kart dent or kids puke in it? No big deal. On track it’ll kick all the German car asses. What more does a guy need? Just for perspective

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